How To Take Photos, Videos, On Your Android Phone Using Voice Search

So you want to take a quick photo or video with your Android phone? It just got a bit easier, at least for those who like to tell their phone what to do.

Google updated its Android Search app today, giving voice-activated access to cell phone camera and video features. Yes, it’s an incremental change, but points to the possibility of further enhancements for marketers.

Here’s how it works: either tap the microphone or say, “OK Google,” then “take a photo” or “take a video” and the camera app launches in the preferred mode.

Note that in my experience, “shoot a photo” or “shoot a video” worked as well, with the caveat that I was never able to launch in video mode. That’s probably because I haven’t been able to install the update from the Google Play store, which as of this afternoon didn’t have the new version.

Reaction to the update on Google’s Google+ post was mixed. Many commenters scoffed that it will always be faster to open the camera app manually. Others wrote that the new feature would be most handy when used with a smart watch or other wearable device. “I guess this could be handy to speak to your Wear device: ‘record a video,’ which remotely launches the camera app in video mode on your phone, so that it’s ready by the time you’ve pulled it out of your pocket,” one commenter wrote.

Marketers, does this update get your mind working on what could be next? We can imagine a future enhancement like “Scan a QR code.” What’s on your wish list?